September 2018

French unions plan anti-Macron strike on 9 October

Two of France's major trade unions, the CGT and Force Ouvrière, have called for the strike, along with a students' union and a school students' union. A third labour grouping, Solidaires, has backed the call in principle but will take its official decision next week. In a statement, they condemned Macron's "ideological policies targeting the destruction of our social model, especially favouring an explosion of inequality and the destruction of collective rights". Decisions like the government's announcement that pensions, housing benefit and...

August 2018

France. Macron government to tackle poverty, pensions, health

The last parliamentary session ended on a sour note for President Emmanuel Macron and his government, with the uproar over presidential bodyguard Alexandre Benalla, who was caught on camera assaulting student protesters while wearing a police crash helmet. The Macron camp is clearly hoping the dust has settled on that question, although the opposition is extremely unlikely to miss any chance to remind the public of such a major embarrassment. But there will be no change in strategy, the president told...

May 2018

France. Furious protests break out in a ‘Day of Rage’ against President Macron’s government – and even police officers get involved

  Public sector unions protested across France against planned reforms by President Emmanuel Macron. Demonstrations in Paris were crashed by at least 100 youths dressed in black with ski masks and balaclavas. They threw bottles at police who charged at them batons drawn, supported by tear gas and water cannons. Protesters suspended protest against planned labour reforms until the mayhem was over later on Tuesday. Public sector workers, including police, are angry at planned job cuts and changes to pensions Read more @Daily Mail  

September 2017

France’s Macron plans end to retire-young rail pensions

President Emmanuel Macron wants to scrap rules allowing some state rail workers to retire on a full pension up to 10 years before most other French workers. The reform plan risks inflaming tensions with labor unions who led the biggest strikes of recent decades in 1995 against a similar proposal that the government of the time floated before abandoning it and losing power. Macron has said his government will embark on overhauling France’s myriad pension schemes in early 2018, creating...